Starts with an 'S'
by Setharmilon
Summary: After finding himself in the middle of a covert war he doesn't understand, Sora must contend with friends who might be enemies, enemies who might be friends, and above all the loss of what he thought was his identity. AU Some OOC
1. Slow Dreams

* * *

Starts with an 'S'

Chapter 1 - Slow Dreams

Disclaimer: Neither Kingdom Hearts nor Final Fantasy belong to me

* * *

The soft dawn light reached timidly into dormitory room C307, distracting the sole conscious occupant from his half eaten toast and prompting him to check his watch. Upon seeing the time he muttered something about lazy roommates and rose to his feet. Snagging a pillow on the way past his own bed he walked over to his slumbering friend.

Thump

"Unngh…..what the ...hell? Sora?" came the groggy response.

"Yes Zidane, Sora, now get your lazy ass out of bed." replied Sora wearily (this did happen every morning after all) "Morning training's in 20 minutes and if we're late Squall will bitch _again_."

Sora started back to their shared kitchenette with Zidane half climbing and half falling out of bed in an attempt to follow in his wake. Normally the personification of agility, Zidane was not by any means a morning person so he and Sora had something of a ritual, which explains why he was no more than slightly startled when a plate of breakfast materialized in front of him. Zidane perked up slightly at this, and after mumbling something that may have possibly been about penguins but more likely an expression of gratitude, hastily set about devouring it (cause damn, could Sora _cook_).

A cup of coffee, a trip to the restroom and a change of clothes later he met his impatient roommate at the door to their shared room and they set off together. They made their way towards the designated training field, Sora welcoming the crisp morning air and Zidane vigorously rubbing his bare arms to ward off the seeping chill. Around them the academy slowly roused to life, students grudgingly proceeding towards their respective fields and waiting instructors. Sora was one of the few seemingly unfazed by the early hour. Some people chalked this up to his apparently inexhaustible natural energy, whilst Sora himself attributed it to his father being a graduate of the same academy, and had for many years shared with him a similar ritual morning workout.

The Destiny Islands branch of SeeD, Destiny Garden. Simultaneously both a training facility for future SeeD candidates, and a residence and deployment hub for established SeeD members. Members opting to temporarily or permanently forego field work often found employment as instructors. Their own experiences passed on to a new generation, bridging the gap between candidate and veteran. It was by this means that the prospective SeeDs got a taste of the world beyond the Garden, the stories of glorious battles and cunning victories yes, but also the despairing struggle of seemingly endless conflicts and the shattering loss of treasured friends falling on the battlefield. Not everyone was cut out to be a SeeD. About 60 of academy entrants finish the course required to take the final exam to become a SeeD, however less than a third of those ever chose to sit said exam, deciding instead to use the skills they've acquired in a safer environment. Many academy entrants in fact never have any intention of becoming a SeeD. A Garden education being second to none, many parents choose to enroll their children in the Garden academy over a standard school. Upon graduating the academy ones choice of workplace was considerable, taught to quickly assess situations and make rapid decisions, taught to discover weaknesses and ruthlessly exploit them, with strong self-discipline and a comprehensive knowledge base, academy graduates were sought after by just about every employer imaginable. But this was all somewhat irrelevant, as Sora Loire was not among the 80 of students who didn't end up taking the final exam, neither was Zidane Tribal, which was why the two of them were still here weeks after graduating, going to morning training alongside six other like-minded individuals.

On the topic of morning training

"Hn, you're early" stated one Squall Leonheart, or "Leon" as anyone who didn't want a painful death would say.

"Barely" came the reply from Sora, with a pointed look behind them where Kairi, Selphie, Tidus and Vann were quickly approaching. Noticing the lack of a quiet blonde and a silver haired bishonen Leon asked after their possible whereabouts. "How should I know?" said Sora irritably "Riku's probably still doing his hair and Namine's… well… Namine, she'll pop out of nowhere once Riku shows up, she always does"

Leons only reply was to smirk in a slightly amused manner, but then again, Leon seemed to smirk a lot. One of the aforementioned veterans, he'd seen more than his share battles and after returning mentally exhausted from an extended conflict on the border of Galbadia he'd decided to take some time to unwind and pass on a few tricks. As a mark of respect for his abilities they'd given him one of their more impressive groups of graduates to train. Usually less than half the candidates sitting any one exam passed, some of those failing re-trained themselves and tried again, while others gave up and sought a different path in life. But the group of 8 Leon had been given to teach armed combat to were exceptionally talented, he'd be surprised if any of them failed.

Leon gave Riku a mild glare as he casually sauntered up to everyone and gave a lazy wave in greeting. Leon couldn't help but notice the tastefully impossible way his hair fell gracefully around his face, unruffled by the gentle morning wind, not a hair misaligned. Pale silver drawing out the turquoise of his eyes. If he didn't know better he'd swear it was a wig. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he looked around for Namine and found her somewhat improbably to his left and slightly behind him, gazing at him with her head cocked slightly to one side and an innocent-but-not smile on her face, looking for the world as though she'd been there all along waiting politely for him to notice her.

Pushing the uneasiness her sudden appearance brought on aside, he gathered his thoughts and spoke up "All right, now that you're all here I want two laps around the field as a warm up, then find a partner and we'll work on some sparring."

* * *

"Enter" came a voice form within. His hand froze, poised to knock. The Superior had a number of unsettling qualities to him, ranging from personal appearance, like his predatory orange eyes, to unusual abilities, such as his disquieting awareness of the goings on of his domain. Saix was regarded by anyone who knew him as an intimidating person. Usually soft spoken he had a tendency to lash out with startling ferocity, seemingly on a whim. Of the few people who Saix deferred to, the Superior was perhaps chief among them. Steeling himself he gripped the doorknob and turned. White greeted him, the walls, the floor, the furniture, everything was done in smooth stark white. He shut the door behind him completing the scene. Harsh lights banished shadow from the room, the room taking on an unrealistic feel. The walls seemed to vanish into one another, the furniture seemed indistinct, melding into the surrounds. Saix felt as though he were suspended in a blinding white void, the pressure on the bottom of his feet the only reason he was sure his wasn't falling through some bleached abyss. And there, at the centre of all, in bold contrast was Xemnas. He made his way towards him and took a seat, closing his eyes to convince himself that the chair he could feel beneath his fingers was truly there.

"You sent for me?"

It wasn't really a question, that Xemnas had requested his presence was evident, he'd hardly be here otherwise. But the alternative was a statement, which came almost close to being vaguely reminiscent of a command, and that was a risk Saix was unwilling to take. At least not in this place, where Xemnas seemed like the only real thing in a world of nothing, the only thing keeping Saix himself from fading into the whiteness, and becoming nothing in turn.

"What is the situation concerning the archetype?"

No pleasantries, Xemnas probably didn't have time for pleasantries, in any case he certainly didn't have the inclination. The _archetype_, there could only be one thing he meant by that, Saix hadn't even considered it might be the reason for his abrupt summons. He'd thought the archetype was of no further use, a functioning replica had been successfully made after all. Nevertheless surveillance on the archetype had continued, simply for the sake of thoroughness, and Saix dutifully dredged the details of the most recent report from the recesses of his memory.

"For the last several years he has been attending the Destiny Islands Garden Academy, recently graduating. Currently he is undergoing final training in preparation for the SeeD exam. Thus far he has shown no indication of awakening."

Xemnas frowned at this and clasped his hands together, obviously deliberating something. After a few moments, he'd apparently come to a decision.

"Have Thirteen approach and make contact, ideally he is to instigate awakening of the archetype, however he must not reveal his origin or intentions"

Saix was startled, this was a bold move, they were risking nearly two decades of work, and all for what? Acquiring a defunct prototype?

"Number Thirteen? The copy? Isn't that too risky? The coven must be watching him too, not to mention SeeD, though how much Laguna told them is debatable, he hasn't truly trusted SeeD for a long time, but if either found out Thirteens connection to the Organization…" Saix cut of his rant when he realized who he was addressing. Xemnas was just _looking _at him, a mild unblinking stare, one eyebrow raised ever so slightly. "I understand superior, I'll relay the new orders to Thirteen"

And with that he pivoted on his heel and made a quick retreat from the room, he wasn't absolutely sure he'd been dismissed, but there was no way he was sticking around any longer. He didn't relax until he was free of the corridor leading up to the superiors office. How he _hated_ that room. He mentally listed everything he would need to do in order to bring Thirteen into contact with the archetype, it would be fairly simple to arrange, they were both going to be taking their SeeD entrance examination soon, the only problem was their location. The archetype was in Destiny Garden, while the copy was in Twilight Garden. Seating himself in front of his computer terminal, he pulled the relevant data from the Garden network and sought a plausible reason to have either of them transferred. A smirk spread across his face as he looked at the class lists.

That would do perfectly, now to make a few "suggestions".

* * *

"...you'll be split into groups of three, and placed under the command of a SeeD officer. Remember, the examination is held amidst a real mission, failure to follow your superiors orders could result in your death or the death of your comrades."

Quistis Trepe, their main instructor, was giving an overview of the final SeeD admission exam. She was their main contact and the first person for them to go to for any advice, information or concerns. Politely spoken and with a kindly disposition, just about everyone was fond of Quistis. Specialist training in combat was recieved from Leon and Tifa, while yuffie trained them in stealth and subtlety. But it was Quistis with whom they spent the most time, She even accompanied them to many of the same training sessions.

"Hold up, you say groups of three, but eight doesn't divide into three. Unless your planning to divide us into fractions?" asked Riku arching an eyebrow, a cocky grin on his face.

"That's a wonderful idea Riku, how about you in one group, your hair in another, hm?" said Quistis with a disarming smile prompting Riku to clutch at his hair protectively "But seriously, a ninth candidate is being sought, if none can be found then a SeeD placeholder will be assigned, you won't be disadvantaged"

SeeD, mused Sora. If all went well then in a few short weeks that would be a title he could rightfully claim as his. A member of the most elite mercenary group in the world. Dispatched to foreign nations to fight battles at anothers behest. Was that really an appealing prospect for him. Maybe not, but it was the price of freedom. As long as he didn't have to return to the house where his father lived, and endure his indifferent yet stifling presence.

"Remember that you have a session with Yuffie later tonight. You'll be working on outdoor stealth, so wear something warm, and black. Now go get some lunch."

And with that last reminder from Quistis they were dismissed.

Selphie audibly groaned at the prospect of a night class with Yuffie, she just didn't "Do" stealth. She was loud, it was what she did. Sora himself had no real talent at it, but on the other hand, Sora had Zidane to help him, and Zidane didn't _do_ stealth, he_ was_ stealth. He'd apparently been a member of Tantalus at some stage, the most famous group of thieves this side of.. well... _anything_. How he'd ended up applying at Destiny Garden was something of a mystery, but rumor held that someone high in Tantalus had pulled a few favors to have Zidanes past overlooked. Whatever the case Sora, was glad he was there, even if he made a lousy roommate.

* * *

A phone rang, once, twice, but failing to make it through the third.

"Hello" purred a voice. "This is Roxas" Simultaneously sounding playful, mocking, and a touch sensual. Water dripped slowly from freshly showered blond hair and a free hand toyed lazily with a slightly damp towel.

"Oh" said Roxas, emotion draining from his voice. "It's you Saix". His face twisted somewhat, he hated dealing with the bipolar maniac.

Listening for a few moments, disdainful expression gradually giving way to a carefully neutral face.

"Understood" was the only word he spoke before hanging up.

He gazed out the window, watching the sunset. Twilight town was renowned for it's sunsets, and it might be a long time before he saw this sight again.

Slowly a dangerous smile crept across his face. A soft chuckling grew into full blown laughter.

'Finally we get to meet'

_'Sora'_

* * *

Well that's the first chapter. Some parts were a bit slower than I would have liked. Namely the parts with Sora, whose supposed to be the main character. But I kinda needed to get a bit of background information in for it to make sense, I spaced it out with a bit of plot development but even so I'm not entirely happy with it. I should also point out that while I've drawn a fair bit from Final Fantasy VIII most of it's been modified at least to some degree so don't expect things to be the same just because I'm using the same names. This is the first time I've ever actually written something and uploaded it, so any feedback on what you like(or want to stab me for) is appreciated. I'm resilient enough to appreciate constructive criticism, but even so, play nice...


	2. With the Dawn

Starts with an 'S'

Starts with an 'S'

Chapter 2 – With the Dawn

Disclaimer: Neither Kingdom Hearts nor Final Fantasy belong to me

* * *

"Man Tifa's a psycho isn't she? I mean, sure, Riku probably shouldn't have been flirting with Kairi quite so loudly while she was trying to demonstrate something, but damn if Riku doesn't have a bloody great bruise today I'll be amazed."

It was early morning, they were making their way to Leon and Zidane was discussing with Sora the events of the previous day, Tifa being their unarmed combat instructor and Riku being the recipient of her fearsome wrath.

"Don't be, if it's something to do with his appearance Riku will find a way. He's amazingly proficient with makeup, you won't notice a thing."

Zidane blinked owlishly at Sora "Wait, Riku wears makeup? And he's good with it? Riku who once floored Tidus for saying his hair made him look like a woman? Riku with muscle definition to make just about any guy envious? That Riku?"

Sora gave a derisive snort "Firstly, yes Riku wears makeup and he's obviously good with it since you never noticed. Secondly, Riku floored Tidus for saying his hair made him look like an _old_ woman. Thirdly, of course Riku has good muscle definition, it's part of looking like sex personified, it's natural that he's obsessive about it. In any case take a good look at Riku's face when he gets here if … wait, who the hells that?"

Leon was up ahead waiting for them as usual, Quistis was there too, uncommon, but not really surprising, she liked to do the group bonding thing whenever she wasn't busy. The third however was an unknown. He was talking with Quistis, his back towards them. The first thing Sora noticed was his clothes. Reinforced black combat sneaks, the sort used by Zidane, Yuffie and anyone else who favored a light step. Grey and white cargo pants, holding a myriad of who-knows-what, the unnatural folding of the cloth betraying the knife strapped to his calf. A cream jacket, probably mesh reinforced by the thickness of the thing and the way it hung, with decorative lines of black checkering around the seams. Beneath this he wore a black combat vest, of similar make to the one Sora himself wore. Again the irregularities in the hang of the jacket just above his waist told of a second blade hidden underneath. At the surface level the whole ensemble gave a casual relaxed feel to it, but every article had significant practical combat purpose. Even his actions mirrored this. He was standing talking to Quistis, relaxed, carefree even, yet the manner in which he stood meant that at even the slightest hint of hostility he could spring into action. This person, it seemed, went about their day to day life expecting for someone to try and kill them. How curious.

He'd obviously noticed their approach, for just then he turned and faced them. Sora took the chance to get a good look at the stranger, and felt cold shock take away his breath. Wildly spiked blond hair, strangely reminiscent of, but not quite the same as the observing brunettes own pointy mess. Once again, the shape of his nose, the set of his chin, all different but strangely similar to Sora's own. The eyes however, were the most striking. Deep blue, impossibly so, a shade Sora had only seen in his own mirror.

_If I had a brother, this would be him._

The stranger had noticed Sora's lingering stare, a cocky grin was given in return, and then he turned away, resuming his dialogue with their instructor. Sora shot a questioning look at Leon who gestured at the rest of their group slowly approaching. "_Wait for the others"_ was the unspoken reply. Leon didn't use real words when he could get away without it.

"So what do you think?" came a hushed voice.

It was Zidane, he'd almost forgotten about him in his surprise. He looked meaningfully at the unknown blond. "He seems a bit… well… not _scary_ exactly but …"

"Dangerous" Sora finished for him. And indeed, with the blonds mere presence Sora felt as though an invisible knife were poised at his throat.

"Yeah, I mean, who goes about Garden armed like that? Who'd be crazy enough to fight their way into a place filled with SeeD?" Zidane was ranting again, what was it about the blond that had set him off?

_Maybe it's SeeD itself he doesn't trust_

Fair enough, the requirements for entry into SeeD were fairly straightforward. "If your good enough, we'll take you" was what it amounted to. On the other hand actually betraying the organization was fairly hard. On the espionage side of things there was very little SeeD kept concealed. When in the field teammates were randomly assigned and constantly together. Overall there was little point in having an agent infiltrate SeeD ranks.

But that didn't mean there weren't any.

"Hey, are you even listening?" it was Zidane, he didn't look particularly happy.

Sora smiled and then in cheerful yet condescending voice "Nope".

Everyone else had arrived, half-whispered speculation all indicating a shared curiosity concerning the mysterious newcomer.

Quistis cleared her throat, effectively silencing all conversation.

"Everyone, you all knew that another candidate was needed to have three full teams for the exam. Well it seems that for once administration has come through early. Your last teammate arrived early this morning, this is-"

"Roxas" the blond cut her off. "My name is Roxas, and might I say it is a _pleasure_ to meet you all" He locked eyes with Sora "Lets all get along nicely shall we?"

"You can all get chummy later, we've wasted enough time already" Leon cut in. "Warm ups first, get moving."

* * *

"Hey" came a quiet voice from behind him.

It was Roxas, Sora didn't really want to do the whole "friendly team bonding" thing right now, he just wanted to get back to his room and have a warm shower. Leon was a slave driver. Aside from Zidane, who wasn't really built for combat, he was the last of the guys to finish. Usually he was one of the first, but he had been a bit distracted by the appearance of the strange blond. Even said newcomer had finished before him, though that wasn't really as surprising as it first sounds. He might be new to Destiny Islands but he'd gone through his own training at another Garden. The blond however had stayed to talk to Quistis however. So it was a bit surprising that he'd followed Sora when he'd been dismissed.

"Apparently you and the monkey boy have a room near mine, do you mind if I follow you? I don't _really_ feel like getting lost right now?" And for the first time since he'd met the blond Sora didn't feel like he was being mocked.

"Whats your room number?" asked Sora, vaguely curious, he and Zidane shared a dorm room, but aside from that nobody else in the group was even in the same building.

"C313" was the reply. _That _was surprising, only five rooms between them. Only two doors between on their side of the hallway.

"Near is an understatement, me and Zidane are in room C307, we're almost neighbors" _Bloody Wonderful_, thought Sora sarcastically. _A dependent child, just what I always wanted._

"Really? Is anyone else nearby?" said Roxas, unaware of Soras internal dialog.

"The closest are Tidus and Vann in Dorm A, or Riku in Dorm E, the girls are all in H. In any case the closest person is two buildings away. So I _am_ a bit surprised that you ended up next to us."

"Hm, I guess that is a strange coincidence" _This is your meddling isn't it Saix_

"So whats everyone like? Any specialties? Strengths? Weaknesses?"

Sora raised an eyebrow "What's with the interrogation? Everyone's a generalist more or less, with a few small exceptions. Zidane's excellent at stealth, not so great at direct combat, Namine's the same, Vanns not quite as good at stealth but he's much better in a fight. Selphie's the opposite, probably the most dangerous of the girls in a direct confrontation, but she's impossible not to notice. Tidus is the same but to a lesser extent, probably Vanns influence, they spend a lot of time together. Riku's pretty good with tactical decisions and such, Namine's better, but Riku's more… um… charismatic I suppose, Namine's a bit weird at times, she doesn't seem to be really close to anyone, either way Riku tends to be more of a leader, he's damn good with a blade too. Kairi well, she's nothing really, good at everything, best at nothing. And me? I guess combat's my forte, Riku sometimes beats me, but usually not. Oh, and even though I say, for example, that Zidane isn't good at combat, I'm talking relative to our group. We're somewhat elite so even he could beat most other candidates in a fight. So, now you know a bit about everyone, but I don't know much about you, so what do you do?"

"Me?" said Roxas "You want to know about little old me? I'm decent at everything I guess, I'm pretty good with a blade, but I'm not into needless fights, so I guess I'm more of a tactical stealth person, why fight your way through when you can sneak, lie or cheat your way through? So enough about people, lets talk about infrastructure, which of these" he waved at the line of dormitories in front of them "glorious residences will I be spending my nights in, hm?"

"These are dorms A through J, alphabetically organized, starting at this one" he gestured at the building they were passing "with A. Tidus and Vann are on the second floor, I forget which room but there's an index in the foyer of all the rooms and their occupants if you ever need to find someone. That's dorm B, I can't think of anyone interesting who's there so we'll ignore it, and next is dorm C, that's my dorm and apparently yours too, oh by the way, Seifer's in charge of discipline for our dorm so try not to antagonize him, he can be a real prick at times. The others are in dorms further on, and as I'm sure you know your alphabet you can find the buildings on your own if you need to later." He pushed open the door to dorm C "This is our magnificent dormitory. We even have hot _and_ cold running water" he added the last part dryly "I'd make a habit of using the stairs if I was you, the elevator has a habit of getting stuck. Oh, Raijin and Fuujin report to Seifer as well so don't piss them off either." The two made their way up the stairs to the third floor "Well this is my room, 307, 313 is right over there" he pointed slightly down the hall. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go have a shower."

* * *

"In the interests of group cohesion we're going to be basing the teams off established associations, that being, dorm rooms, there are three pairs of you who room together so these pairs should be able to work well together" Quistis was outlining their teams for the SeeD exam. "Riku, you'll be working with Kairi and Selphie. Namine, you're with Tidus and Vann. That leaves Roxas with Sora and Zidane." Sora let out a sigh, he'd been worried he might be paired with Riku, which would make the next few week damn unpleasant, not that Riku wouldn't be useful to have in the exam but Sora wasn't awfully fond of Riku. Not that Riku noticed of course, hell they'd been best friends growing up, but after… well… Sora didn't want to dwell on that right now. In any case Sora felt the need to fake a smile and react cheerfully whenever Riku was trying to kindle some of the sparks of their old friendship, as long as Riku didn't know why they'd drifted apart, he couldn't try and fix it. Riku might want to be friends, but Sora held his grudges, and while it seemed strange to ignore someone by being friendly, it worked damn well. On the other hand, it made his cheeks hurt, and made Zidane think he was somewhat bipolar.

"_Looks like we'll be seeing a lot of each other, Sora."_ Roxas whispered to him, he felt his breath, hot against his neck.

Roxas on the other hand might be worse than having to deal with Riku. The blond tended to swing randomly from perfectly normal, like when he had accompanied him to their dorm, to a strange amalgam of contempt, sensuality and danger.

"Tomorrow we'll be having a competitive group exercise to work on getting you used to working as a team. Each team will be deployed differently, in a separate location with a unique array of equipment to work with. You're all after the same goal, and you may come into conflict, so be prepared. A map of the area, along with details of your own deployment location and equipment will be given out at midday, discuss these with the rest of your team and decide on how you're going to achieve your objective before anyone else. You'll have this afternoon free specifically for this purpose. Oh, and there's a special reward for the team who wins, so try your best, okay?"

Oh joy, they were going to be tossed on their own out into the wilderness and expected to race their way to some arbitrary goal, and afterwards they were apparently going to all be bosom buddies. Zidane didn't look happy, he wasn't really an outdoorsy person, he'd once told Sora about a forest back near his hometown where plants actually ate people, that would probably sour _anyones_ disposition, he preferred nice cities where you knew that everyone was out to get you, but random things didn't try and use you for nutrition. Roxas on the other hand seemed quite cheerful, but that could mean anything, Sora didn't even pretend he knew what motivated the blond.

"That's all, you're dismissed for now, I'll give you your briefing files after lunch"

Zidane slumped forward onto his desk, Riku went over to talk with Selphie and Kairi. Namine made her way to Vann and Tidus. Roxas was lazily watching everyone else. Sora sighed, so much for group cohesion. To be fair there was no real need for them to talk about anything, the three of them might not share a room, but close enough. Zidane seemed to be a bit wary of Roxas, but Sora couldn't blame him. Even now their third teammate retained his casual wariness, it was less pronounced than before but the blonds presence still put him on edge somewhat. Even now, blinking tiredly and stifling a yawn, Sora felt that at the slightest aggravation Roxas would replace the hypothetical knife at his throat with a real one.

"You seem tired" Sora addressed to him, and he did, it wasn't even noon yet after all.

"Yeah, my flight got in at around four this morning, I slept a couple hours on the airship but then I had to go through all the transfer paperwork and _then _I went with Quistis to meet up with you guys and Leon. At least we don't have afternoon classes, I don't think I'd make it through awake"

Sora nodded sympathetically, he looked exhausted after all.

Riku, Kairi and Selphie all stood and left the room. Tidus and Vann followed them soon after.

Suddenly Roxas jolted upright. "When did Namine leave?" he blurted out.

Sora suppressed the urge to laugh at him "Who knows, I said she was good at stealth didn't I? She has a habit of appearing and disappearing suddenly, you get used to it. Lets go get lunch and then see Quistis. After that I think you should go grab a few more hours sleep, you said you were good with tactics and the like right? We'll need you fully awake to come up with something, so how about we drop by your room later tonight kay?"

Thus was Roxas day planned for him, it was a good enough plan and he was too tired to argue, despite his reluctance to simply do whatever he was told. He needed the sleep in any case.

* * *

It was later in the day, as Roxas sat watching the sunset from his bed, that his thoughts turned to the strange disappearing act Namine had pulled. Despite how good she was, she shouldn't be able to simply disappear like that. He mulled over the problem before a plausible answer found its way to him.

It couldn't be, could it? If so it was totally out of character. The Coven usually had a much more subtle approach, placing an agent so close to their target was unlike them. Then again, Roxas' assignment so close to Sora was also an unusual move for the Organization. Perhaps it was just a situation where subtlety was not an option. Either way, he would have to be careful around her. He couldn't afford to use his power carelessly or she would notice, losing him the advantage of surprise.

He pondered courses of action he might take as he watched the setting sun, it was really disappointing, of course he shouldn't have expected it to compare to the one back in twilight town but he still missed it, after all he'd spent years watching it day after day.

Well, he thought, at least the dawn had been good.

* * *

That's the second chapter, I'm happier with it than the first one. I'd originally been going to put the training exercise in this chapter too, but I thought it might drag on too long so I cut it off there. Less plot development and more character development, don't expect to have too much idea as to why everyone's interested in Sora until what was originally going to be chapter 3 but is now chapter 4.


End file.
